A Social Divide
by Aquilon
Summary: Yuri a captain in the knights and a commoner is given the task of training Princess Estellise, however what will happen when the Princess starts falling for the Commoner? Yuri x Estelle
1. The Common Captain

**A Social Divide**

_This fiction is semi-au, certain aspects remain the same whilst others do not, Yuri is a knight captain who is instructed by royalty to teach Princess Estellise in the art of swordsmanship an art that all of royalty must learn, but what happens when Estellise's feelings begin to change for her teacher. Slow Romance._

**The Common Captain**

Zaphias the imperial capital, the centre of world trade and the most technologically advanced city in the world was the home to one very special princess. This princess was already tipped to be the future queen of the empire when her grandfather the Emperor stepped down, this was due to the eternal compassion she held for all life on Terca Lumireis.

There was only one problem with this princess; she was too inexperienced in life, so on the order from her granduncle she set off on her journey to become worthy of inheriting the throne, this is the story of her journey.

(Story Start)

Time trickled away slowly as the teacher droned on and on about something that didn't interest the pink haired girl in the slightest, despite this she listened intently, scribbling down notes on offensive magic theory in beautiful cursive handwriting matching her royal heritage.

Her attitude towards the class was the complete opposite of what her friend showed. Instead of listening intently her friend opted to show her disdain for the class by placing her head comfortably on the desk, falling asleep peacefully in the process.

As the lesson continued the princess turned to her side to spot her friend sleeping soundly and giggled, this however was a bad move because it attracted the attention of their teacher who was not impressed in the slightest.

"Ahem!" the man cleared his throat dramatically to catch everybody's attention, well nearly everyone's that is.

"Miss Mordio!" the man cried dramatically waking the sleeping girl from her slumber.

"Ugh, shut up" the teen groaned sleepily causing the teachers face the turn red from anger and incite a small bout of laughter from everyone in the classroom.

"Miss Mordio" he began again as he grinded his teeth angrily, "this is the twelve time this semester that I've caught you sleeping in my class, what have you got to say for yourself?" he asked the teen genius in a patronizing tone.

Now awake Rita, more commonly known as 'Mordio' to the faculty grinned mockingly, showing her haughty attitude to the world.

"Well if you actually bothered to teach something I DON'T already know then I wouldn't fall asleep" she said in a proud tone before mumbling something about stupid researchers telling her she need a degree at the University of Zaphias.

At her words the teachers teeth began to grind again and his eye began to twitch angrily, until a crooked smile donned his face.

"Well then, Miss 'genius' mage, how about you come up here and show the class exactly what I've been trying to explain" the teacher challenged her in a patronizing tone, throwing a piece of chalk across the room to her so she could get to work instantly.

Rita not being one to step down from a challenge stood up proudly, to reveal her tiny form to everyone, this was due to the fact that she was three years younger than the minimum age the university accepted.

As she walked up the aisle, showing her bizarre odd coloured socks and untidy clothes to everyone she began to smile in anticipation, feeling a weird sense of joy from the fact that she was about to humiliate this 'expert' in front of his own class.

"I can do more than just write a formula on a blackboard unlike a certain 'expert' we all know" Rita claimed boldly as she started to concentrate, allowing herself to become one with the aer itself before taking that aer and manipulating it into what the teacher was trying to explain.

"Blah, Blah, Blah... Freeze Lancer" Rita said unenthusiastically as a storm of sharp ice spikes ploughed into the blackboard ripping it to shreds, before continuing into the wall behind the blackboard piercing it slightly.

As the teacher watched the act unfold his expression paled and he nearly fainted on the spot.

"Mordio, do you have any idea of what you've just done?" the man gasped as the rest of the class joined in with the scared expressions, well nearly everyone except for the pink haired princess who continued to smile, though she did feel slightly ashamed of her friends actions.

"You're lucky I held back" Rita replied nonchalantly with a cheeky smile before spinning on her heel and walking back to her seat, ignoring the looks of fright on her classmates, many of which were hoping to become mages themselves, unlike them though she wanted to become a Blastia scientist.

"H-held back, what made you think I wanted you to do this?" the teacher replied in a stutter causing Rita to grin as she sat in her seat.

"Well I had to get rid of that blasphemy of a formula, that fleck symbol shouldn't have been there, if someone had actually followed that the spell would have collapsed on itself" Rita replied in a haughty tone causing the teacher to turn red again, this time of embarrassment.

"Miss Mordio I demand you leave this classroom at once!" the teacher ordered, as if it was some kind of punishment for damaging his pride.

Rita not being one to care stood up and walked to the door before a small voice protested causing the teacher to freeze on the spot.

"Mr Brook, I ask that you please excuse Miss Mordio's behaviour, I believe she didn't mean any harm from what she did" the princess pleaded quietly causing the entire class to seemingly swap sides and jump to Rita's defence.

"B-but Princess Estellise she damaged property and disrupted the class, I beg that you understand" Mr. Brook the old teacher pleaded but to no avail.

"If I remember correctly, you were the one who started the disturbance in the first place" the princess replied sternly causing the old teacher to gulp nervously.

"Furthermore If you hadn't of purposely called Miss Mordio out this wouldn't have happened, this is the seventh time this year that you have picked on her despite other disturbances, so if you still want to punish her I'm sure we could bring this to a hearing" the princess said in a calm tone, there were many things that Estellise could remain passive about, but having a friend punished was not one of them.

In response the teacher began to sweat nervously before turning to Rita and signalling that she should return to her seat, much to the satisfaction of the young brunette.

As Rita sat back down once more she flicked a quick smile to her friend before dropping off to sleep once more.

(Scene Change)

The bell rung signalling the end of class everybody piled out the doors quickly that is except for the two girls who had been involved in the incident and their teacher.

As the brunette slowly opened her eyes she spotted the pink haired princess looking down at her with a smile on her face.

"Wake up Rita, rise and shine" she chimed happily causing the young teen to blush in embarrassment, before slowly getting to her feet.

"So ready to go?" the brunette asked, as if she was the one who just woke up her friend.

"Yup!" the princess replied cheerfully and walked towards the exit with her best 'and only' female friend.

As the pair walked out the door they headed for the exit of the university, after all that was the last lesson of the day for both of them and they wanted to get away from the scene of the crime as fast as they could.

Once they got outside they headed for a nearby bench which was surrounded by luscious green hedges and freshly cut grass, accompanying this sight was a large fountain and a large group of strangers who were coming in and out of the university.

"Thanks for that earlier" Rita told her friend as they both relaxed on the bench, pulling their lunch out of their bags.

"No problem" Estellise replied happily before adorning a stern expression, "but you will have to learn to stop doing stuff like that Rita, I can't protect you all the time you know" she lectured before placing her hands on her lap.

"Oh I know how about you apologise!" Estelle offered enthusiastically as if apologising was the solution to every problem.

"Hah that may work for you, but for someone like me who is of common birth apologising is worthless" Rita said in a slightly hurt tone, it was a common part of life in the empire, those who were commoners often got the short end of the stick, whilst nobles and royalty could get away with everything.

"Th-that's not true" Estelle protested weakly not understanding what made them so different and why it would even matter.

Rita in response turned to her friend spotting her sad expression and decided to drop the issue, knowing it was always a sore spot for Estellise who was of royal birth, because of this she never had experienced the troubles of commoners and thus could never understand.

Yet despite this Estellise was one of the few nobles and royals that Rita knew who actually didn't care for the social divide between the social classes, this is what made Estellise so attractive to Rita and why she spoke to her despite her bad social disposition.

The friendship between them hadn't always been close though, originally Rita disliked her because she seemed like the typical princess so she expected Estellise to start acting superior but the time never came, this is what helped their relationship to grow into a friendship that Rita would always cherish.

"Fine, fine" Rita conceded, "I'll apologise tomorrow ok" Rita offered causing her friend to smile happily.

"On the note of birth right though" Rita mused as she bit into the rice ball she had made. "Where are those knights who are at your every beck and call?" Rita asked as she finished off the rice ball with a loud gulp.

Estellise smiled at Rita's words as if she'd been waiting for Rita to ask.

"I asked them to allow me to attend without their constant guarding and they said yes!" she said excitedly much to Rita's surprise.

No the surprise wasn't that they would let her go to university without guards, but the fact that she actually believed them, Rita was sure that they were somewhere.

"That's good" Rita commented before looking to the side to spot a man watching them intently, at this she smiled and turned back to her naive friend.

"Isn't it?" Estellise replied joyously and Rita nodded in response, she couldn't reveal to her that she was being lied to because she didn't want to see Estellise upset, or 'angry' so she decided to just play along with her friend.

(Scene Change)

"So how's the old man doing?" a concerned voice asked from behind the bar to the man sitting in front of her.

The black haired man sighed dramatically as he stretched his arms out.

"Ah he's in a pretty tough state right now, no wonder Flynn called me back from Yurzorea, it's a shame though, there are some pretty nice girls in Yumanju you know" the man said calmly with a small grin.

"Oh, anybody catch your eye?" the woman flirted, leaning over the bar to give him a nice view of her cleavage.

Not giving in to her charms Yuri averted his gaze reluctantly causing the woman to smile mischievously.

"As a matter of fact there were a few, but you can find better girls right here so I guess I can live with that" the man replied as he returned his gaze back to the woman, making sure he made eye contact when he said it.

"Oh Captain. Lowell you do flatter me but you're going to have to try harder than that you know" the woman replied trying to prolong their little 'game' for as long as she could, to ensure this she reached over the bar and grabbed his chin softly averting his gaze back downwards.

Just as the captain was about to indulge himself the door of the bar flung open.

"Yuri!" a masculine voice shouted irritating the black haired man who was in the middle of some 'important' business.

"What is it Flynn, can't you see I'm a little busy here?" Yuri asked not turning around to look at his long term best friend.

Flynn looking at the pair in front of him glared, having always found Yuri's attitude toward women annoying he didn't take lightly to his current 'important' business.

"Oh just imagine Hisca's face if she walked in here instead of me" Flynn said in a taunting tone causing Yuri to flinch slightly in response.

"Y-you don't say" Yuri stuttered for the first time, feeling extremely wary and strangely compliant to whatever Flynn was about to say.

"Yup I do say" Flynn said, feeling victorious over his best friend.

"So what brings you here calling my name at the top of your voice?" Yuri asked after a long sigh, despite this he didn't avert his view from the bartender who adorned a sly, fox like smile.

"Glad you're finally going to be serious" Flynn said as he walked up to the bar and sat down next to his best friend.

"Anything you want?" the woman behind the bar asked with her eyes still locked to Yuri's.

"Just some water will be fine, thanks" Flynn replied before frowning at the sigh she made in response to his order.

"Same old Flynn I guess, dutiful as always" the woman commented before walking away from Yuri, making the captain laugh.

"Well I'm sorry that I'm not as laid back as Mr. Skirt Chaser here" Flynn responded to the woman making her laugh at the black haired man's expense.

"Hey, I resent that, I don't go out of my way you know" Yuri responded as a glass of water was handed to the blonde haired captain.

"Yeah right, ahem 'can't you see I'm a little busy here?'" Flynn responded as he imitated his friend making the bartender laugh again.

"Fine I get your point smart ass" Yuri groaned.

"Seriously though what brings you here, it's not every day that two captains are in the Lower Quarter so what's up?" Yuri asked as he ordered some Zaphian Ale causing Flynn to glare at his choice of drink.

"I got word from the emperor, apparently your 'vacation' as you would put it won't be all fun and games" Flynn started before sipping his water.

"Go on" Yuri encouraged getting irritated at Flynn's slow form of speech.

"Anyways, he told me personally that whilst you're in Zaphias he wants you to perform a certain task" Flynn continued before drinking some more.

"And that task is?" Yuri asked, wondering if Flynn was doing this on purpose.

"I don't know, and even if I did know do you think I would reveal such information in a public place?" Flynn asked his friend, wondering if Yuri was always this laid back when he wasn't officially on duty.

"Oh come on Flynn, you can talk in front of Judy she's like family, she wouldn't say anything" Yuri claimed feeling slightly angry at his friend, after all they had known Judith since they were younger and she was someone despite her promiscuous attitude, that they could trust.

"Be that as it may, I still don't think you should discuss such matters in front of people not affiliated with the knights" Flynn claimed before turning to Judith and miming an apology to her.

"Well we all have our ways of operating I guess" Yuri conceded before taking a chug of his ale.

"Woah that's stronger than usual Judy, good work!" Yuri exclaimed much to exasperation of his best friend.

"Glad you like it" Judy said honestly before taking Flynn's empty glass off the bar.

"So, when do I have to meet the emperor Flynn?" Yuri asked seriously before pushing the pint of ale in front of him.

"That's enough thanks, don't want to be drunk in front of the emperor again" Yuri continued with a small grin causing Flynn to face palm.

"You're so lucky that was a royal banquet or you could have been facing the death penalty" Flynn interjected remembering the whole event vividly, especially the part when Yuri wanted to hug the old man, luckily though Flynn managed to drag Yuri away.

"Yeah thanks about that night, I don't like the sound of my head on a pike, so how about I fix you up with someone in return?" Yuri offered his gratitude making Flynn glower at him.

"No thank you, who knows who you'd fix me up with, ugh" he said feeling slightly disgusted.

"Oh come on I've been out with some classy girls" Yuri retorted, feeling insulted at his best friends disgust.

"Name one" Flynn challenged causing everything in the bar to go silent for a brief moment.

"... Judith?" Yuri said, though it sounded more like a question, unluckily for Yuri even Judith scoffed at his answer.

"Sorry hon, I'm not a 'classy' girl, I prefer to be called a down to earth woman from the Lower Quarter, instead of a classy rich bitch" Judith replied to his comment with a cheeky smile which annoyed Yuri once more.

"Oh well never mind, I prefer that about you anyway" Yuri shrugged off the comment as he admired the woman's features.

"Ahem, do I have to remind you of Hisca again?" Flynn cut in once more.

"No, I'm fine, I'll stop" Yuri said regrettably before getting to his feet.

"I guess I might as well head to the castle then" Yuri commented as he stretched his body again.

"That'd probably be for the best" Flynn replied as he placed some gald on the bar. After that he got to his feet and stretched.

"So where are you off to now then?" Yuri asked as he fiddled around in his pockets a little.

"Off to see how old man Hanks is doing and then I'll do some patrol over Zaphias" Flynn replied to his friend.

"Good to know, so let's get going" Yuri offered and the two walked to the door before they heard the bartender clear her throat rather loudly.

"You forgetting something Yuri?" the woman asked causing Yuri to sigh dejectedly.

"Fine, fine" Yuri said as he approached her and placed a couple of notes within her cleavage causing Flynn to face palm.

"See you later then" Yuri said afterwards and walked towards the door.

"Have fun boys" the bartender called back sarcastically and the two replied with a 'yeah' and walked out onto the streets of the Lower Quarter where Repede was waiting for them.

(Scene Change)

As the two teens walked through the Citizens Quarter of Zaphias they noticed a certain change to how the people were acting, as if something had happened.

"I wonder what's gotten everyone so surprised" Rita mused as she observed quite a few people whispering to each other.

"Is there something different?" Estellise asked innocently, after all she wasn't used to walking around the Citizen's Quarter without a guard, this seemingly made all the difference.

"No, not really" Rita said feeling slightly disinterested, it was probably nothing serious anyway, it couldn't have been that anyone recognised Estellise because her status as a princess wasn't known to many people, the only reason people at the university knew was because a majority of them were refined nobles who worshiped royalty like gods in an attempt to get even more blessings.

"Oh okay then" Estellise replied before bouncing off towards a market stall, observing the various books on display with wonder causing Rita to smile slightly at her friends excitement.

"Hello there miss, what can I get you today?" a cheerful middle aged man asked the pink haired princess enthusiastically.

"Have you got any books containing information on healing artes?" Estelle asked excitedly, having never seen a market stall before without being surrounded by guards which kind of killed the atmosphere.

"Actually miss I think you're in luck" the man replied as he turned around and pawed at the variety of books carefully until he found what it was he was looking for.

"Ah here it is, it's a real beauty, it contains rare information on art of methodology, it was said to be written by the high priestess and great healer Mint Adenade hundreds of years ago, it's probably the last one in existence" the man claimed as he held up an old looking book with a blue velvet cover and the magical formula for cure inscribed onto it in gold writing.

The explanation awed the young princess and that it should, after all it was the perfect book for her.

As the princess fussed over the book Rita walked up from behind her and took a peek at the book.

"That's one fancy book you got there, what's it called?" Rita asked feeling interested, that was until Estellise mentioned healing arts and methodology which suddenly killed all interest Rita had. After all healing artes were seen as boring to the young genius.

As the princess continued to fuss over it Rita walked to the front of the queue.

"So how much is the book and whilst you're at it do you have a book strap like this one?" Rita asked before turning around to show the merchant the strap she had which secured a red book to her back.

"Yeah we have plenty of those miss, they are essential for book lovers" the man said in a cheerful tone irritating Rita who found it too unrealistic for people to be so happy, but she also understood that merchants had to always display a smile to their customers.

"Ok then so how much is it?" Rita asked impatiently tapping her foot rhythmically as she watched her friend hold the book as if it was some ancient treasure, which it probably was.

"Hmm for such cute girls I'll sell it for 5000 Gald" the man said with a smile on his face causing Rita's mouth to drop and her eyes to sharpen.

"No problem!" Estellise chirped happily in response causing Rita to jump in surprise, she had never seen that much money in her life, so hearing Estellise saying it wasn't a problem was surprising to say the least.

"Estellise are you sure, isn't it a little too much?" Rita asked her friend who tilted her head in confusion.

"No I think it'd acceptable, there are some books out there that can reach 100,000 Gald so I think this is ok" Estellise responded as she pulled out a purse full of 1000 Gald notes.

"I think you're missing my point Estellise" Rita said in exasperation as Estellise handed over the money and claimed the book for herself.

"Thank you for doing business with Fortunes Market, please have a nice day" the merchant told the two before they walked off towards the other stalls, not noticing the predator like looks they were receiving from a few members of the vast crowd in the market area.

As the two walked to another stall Estellise decided to try and put the book strap on, luckily for her she wasn't wearing one of her elaborate dresses today so it went on easily.

"Wow Rita look I did it!" she chimed excitedly and did a little twirl.

Rita watching this scene tried her best to not say any sarcastic comments in response.

"It looks good on you" Rita complimented, still ignoring her urges to say something sarcastic.

"Thank you!" Estellise replied grabbing Rita's hand as she did this and dragged Rita to another stall causing the younger teen to blush in embarrassment.

However before they reached the stall they were approached by two men wearing grubby clothes.

"Hey there ladies want to hang out?" one of them asked the two, his expression was not one of a flirt instead his eyes were cold as if he was some kind of criminal.

Rita being more experienced in these kind of situations decided to take the initiative.

"Sorry guys how about another time?" she offered peacefully, hoping it would solve the situation before she decided to get violent with them.

"Aw sorry no can do missy" the man replied grabbing her wrist tightly causing Rita to yelp slightly.

"Now would you like to hang out or not?" the man asked this time sounding rather violent.

"We said no!" Rita answered them again before Estelle had a chance to even speak.

"I don't think you understand who you are dealing with missy" the second man said mockingly as he reached out to touch Rita, but before he got the chance to touch her she bit his hand causing him to pull back in pain.

"Estellise run, I'll deal with these guys, you should be able to lose them in this crowd" Rita ordered as she kicked the other man in the testicles causing him to topple over slightly.

"B-but what about you?" Estellise stuttered fearfully.

"Don't worry about me, now go, they can't cause too much of a scene in a crowd this large" Rita told her before a large hand grasped her shoulder and clenched tightly making the young teen gasp in pain.

Estellise not being one to argue decided to run and get help as her friend ordered.

"Missy you were wrong about one thing" the man grasping her shoulder said in a sinister tone.

"And what's that you dog?" Rita spat angrily.

"This" he said before throwing a punch at the young teen who swiftly dodged it by sidestepping the attack.

"W-what" the man stuttered, slightly surprised at Rita's ability to dodge.

"Mr filthy mutt, you have no idea who you are dealing with" Rita said angrily and grabbed the whip attached to her hip ready to strike the assailants, before she realised it was in face 'assailant' as there was only one person in front of her.

"Oh no, Estellise!" Rita said feeling concerned for her friend.

"Haha, my mate should be catching up to that little rich girl any second now" the man said whilst donning a snide expression.

"You're more of an idiot than I thought that's the stupidest move you could have done" Rita claimed before swinging her whip and full speed, making it connect with the side of the man's neck, the attack was so precise that the man collapsed on the spot causing mass panic to occur on the marketing area from those who witnessed the scene.

"Oh great" Rita muttered as she saw people staring at her as if she was some kind of criminal.

As Rita watched the panicked people swarm around her she began to fear the worst. _"In this crowd Estellise's guards won't be able to get to her, oh no I have to save her!" _Rita thought in a panic before darting into the crowd which seemed to split apart when she approached in hopes of catching up with Estellise.

(Change Scene)

As Yuri and Repede reached the Citizen's Quarter Yuri noticed the stares he was receiving and concluded that people had heard of his actions across the world, it was one of the annoying things about being a well known person.

"Hey Repede want to get a bite to eat before we go to the castle?" Yuri asked his faithful companion who barked back in agreement.

"Great!" Yuri said happily and walked towards the market place where he knew a great sandwich shop was.

As the two approached the market place they noticed a sort of tension in the air, something that is gained when you've been on the battlefield for a long time, and it put Yuri on alert instantly.

"Repede" was all he needed to say for his dog to completely understand each other, they had that sort of bond.

So without wasting a moment the two ran into the market place where they saw a teenage girl wearing a simple blue skirt and a white frilly top running towards them, behind her was a man wearing grubby clothes giving chase, and it was all Yuri needed to see for him to understand.

However before he could act he spotted a small brunette in her early teens chasing after the man which made him feel confused, that is until the girl stopped and began to chant which made Yuri spring to action.

"Repede you deal with the man, I'll stop the girl" he ordered as he and his dog darted into the crowd, Repede being the faster one was way ahead of him and nearly at his target.

Yuri on the other hand stopped and told everyone to get out of the way in a commanding voice before he started to chant as well.

(Scene Change)

Estellise ran for her life towards the plaza of the Citizen's Quarter trying to get the help that Rita told her to get, but it seemed that with every passing second the man that seemed to track her like a wolf was getting closer and closer.

"_Run, need to help Rita" _Estelle thought as she squirmed past a few others until she spotted something peculiar, a blue dog in the distance quickly approaching her.

Behind the dog was a man wearing a black and gold knights uniform, his grieves were light gold-silver coloured as were his gauntlets and single pauldron, he had a red half-skirt covering his right leg and an elaborate crimson cape that he wore like a scarf.

"_Who is that?" _Estellise wondered as the man stopped moving and began to chant something inaudible. Whilst at the same time the dog seemed to be less than a second from her, at this moment everything seemed to go in slow motion.

From behind her she could hear Rita chanting something as well, though unlike the man in front of her, Rita's chanting sounded much more elaborate which meant she was planning to use a spell much more devastating than she usually did, otherwise she would just say 'blah', Estellise knew this from experience.

As time slowly ticked by the dog leaped, clearing her shoulder and charged into the man pursuing her, this caused Estellise to stop and turn to witness the scene unfold.

(Scene Change)

Repede crashed into the man quickly, causing the man to fall to the floor and bang his head against the ground, the scene seemed to make the crowd scream a little.

"Infernal Streak!" Yuri called out having completed his chanting, summoning a black star to form in front of him before a beam of black energy flew towards the brunette who hadn't finished casting yet.

As the cluster of dark energy flew towards the girl she stopped chanting and channelled the aer she had accumulated into a magic shield which surrounded her body with a blue hue, repelling the captain's attack.

"W-what the?" Rita stuttered before Yuri darted over to her, drew his sword and then pointed it to her chin.

"I recommend you give up on all thoughts of struggling" Yuri told then girl who seemed to huff at his words but not retaliate, mainly because she had a clear view of Yuri's dog smothering the man who'd been chasing Estellise.

When Rita stopped acting all haughty Yuri sheathed his sword and grabbed her by the arm and dragged her towards where Repede was pinning down the attacker.

"Good work Repede" Yuri congratulated his companion before looking at the pink haired girl who seemed to be rooted to the spot.

"Ok miss what seems to be going on here; did these two cause you any trouble?" Yuri asked Estellise who seemed to be too scared to talk.

"Estellise tell him what happened so he'll let go of me!" Rita moaned from behind Yuri, snapping Estellise out of her 'trance'.

"Umm would you please let her go, she's my friend" Estellise pleaded to the man who gave her a once over before letting go of Rita, who quickly returned to Estellise's side.

"Are you alright Estellise?" Rita asked the girl who nodded shakily, having never experienced such an event in her life.

"Ah good" Rita sighed in relief before looking at the black haired man who'd saved Estellise and assaulted her who was leaning down next to the man who was attacked by the blue dog.

"Handcuffs would really come in handy right now" the man said before turning to Rita who was staring at him.

"So what's the story, why would you start chanting such a dangerous spell in the centre of a market place?" Yuri asked the girl who froze on the spot before turning a bright crimson.

"T-to save a friend" she said in embarrassment.

"And risk injuring everyone here?" Yuri asked causing Rita to look away.

"You're lucky if it was any other knight they would so arrest you for this, but I'll let it slide" Yuri said as he petted Repede as a reward for his good work.

"So in return you tell me what happened, I'm guessing this man here assaulted you?" Yuri asked the two.

"Yeah, there was another one, he should be unconscious down the road somewhere" Rita said frankly causing Yuri to smirk slightly.

"Poor guy, getting his ass handed to him by a little girl" Yuri mumbled as he got to his feet.

"Ok then I'll take these guys in, you two just go and pretend this never happened, however if I need any of you as a witness is there any way I can contact you?" Yuri asked the two.

"Yeah" Rita cut in, because she knew Estellise was still shocked to speak properly.

"I'm Rita Mordio, I live in the Lower Quarter just ask anyone and you should be able to locate me" Rita told the man who mentally recorded the information.

"Ok then that's fine, how about you two get going then" Yuri told the two before leaning down and lifting the man off the floor without any trouble in doing so, when he turned around the girls were already gone.

"Hah some courtesy I get" Yuri mocked before carrying the man down the road to search for second 'assailant', ignoring the eyes of the shoppers around him.

(Scene Change)

As the two girls got out of the market place they were approached by three very concerned knights who seemed to be fussing a little too much.

"I say your highness please return to the castle!" said a knight with extremely thick lips.

"Hey I was about to say that" a small chubby knight complained to the other knight.

"Oh shut up you two!" ordered the third knight causing Rita to face palm, these knights were known as some of the most incompetent knights in Zaphias, the only good thing about them was the fact that they didn't discriminate.

Whilst the three knights argued with each other Rita turned to her best and only friend.

"You alright Estellise, you must be pretty shaken up" Rita asked her friend trying her best to sound consoling, but it came out as awkward at best.

"Y-yeah I'm alright" Estellise replied before turning to the knights.

"I think I'll return to the castle for today" she told them, and Rita at the same time and Rita couldn't blame her.

"Yes your Highness" the three said in unison before escorting her away from her friend who decided to head for the Lower Quarter where her rented apartment was situated.

(Scene Change)

After Yuri and Repede had gathered the two assailants and got themselves a sandwich whilst they were at it, they exited the market place and set off for their original destination, the Castle, located in the Royal Quarter of Zaphias.

As the two ascended the steep steps to the Royal Quarter the man looked up with sandwich in hand to admire, yet at the same time loathe the beautiful architecture, the reason for his loathing was the fact that whilst the Royal Quarter had everything, the Lower Quarter had nothing and it was sickening to see.

As the two reached the castle Yuri greeted the guards who saluted him before opening the door, showing respect for one of their most esteemed superiors.

As the duo walked through the elegant hallways towards the throne-room Yuri was left wondering what kind of task he was going to be assigned.

"So Repede do you think it's another mission in Desier against those desert bandits that keep attacking?" Yuri asked his partner, hoping that it wasn't going to be such a thing; after all he hated desert terrain the most.

In response Repede gave him a low growl, causing Yuri to sigh, he wanted a better response from the dog.

When they reached the throne room Yuri spotted two members of the Royal Guard standing on opposite sides of the door.

"I heard that his highness has been expecting me" Yuri told the two who turned to each other and nodded in unison before opening the door allowing Yuri to enter the room.

As he walked into the room he had become familiar with ever since he reached the ranked of captain he spotted the old emperor sitting on the throne looking rather weary, but a small smile reached his lips when he spied Yuri from his position.

"Oh Captain Lowell I've been expecting you, is everything well with your family in the Lower Quarter?" the old emperor asked kindly, referring to Old Man Hanks.

"Yes your highness, I'm sure he'd be honoured to know that you're thinking of him" Yuri responded as he walked directly in front of the man and stood at attention.

"So I'm sure Captain Scifo told you that I was hoping that you'd fulfil a small task for me whilst you're still on vacation then?" the old man asked kindly to the black haired knight.

"That would be correct sir" Yuri replied respectfully bringing a small smile to the man's cracked lips.

"Good, good" he said as he waved his hand to one of his aides who Yuri knew as Drake the legendary former knight, this wave of the hand was a signal for the man to walk to the door on the left hand side of the throne room.

"Now about your task, Captain Lowell" the emperor said before taking in a deep breath. "Whilst you are stationed in Zaphias I have a special task for you, my grand-daughter has reached that age where all Royals must learn the responsibilities that may be thrust upon them at any time, one of these is the art of swordsmanship, I presume you understand what I am getting at?" the old man concluded, to which Yuri nodded.

"Good, good, then I assume you wouldn't mind teaching her then?" the emperor asked the knight captain who saluted back.

"No sir, it would be an honour" Yuri responded causing the old man to smile once more before signalling to Drake again who opened the door, revealing the form of a familiar pink haired teen.

"Captain Lowell, this is my grand-daughter Estellise, I hope you'll teach her well" he introduced them, not knowing that they were already acquainted.

"I-it's you" the pink haired woman said in surprise making the black haired knight smile.

* * *

><p><strong>(End of Chapter)<strong>

_Ok this was just an introductory chapter, before anyone wonders Infernal Streak is a move based on Flynn's divine streak from the PS3 version, yes Yuri does know Magic, what captain doesn't._

_The main theme of this story is the social divide between the classes, so expect a lot of drama later on, also isn't Yuri such a player? _

_-Aquilon _


	2. Atypical Princess

A Social Divide Chapter Two

_Well here's chapter two of A Social Divide I hope you're all enjoying it._

Atypical Princess

"I-it's you" the pink haired woman said in surprise making the black haired knight smile.

"Ah I see that you and my grand-daughter are acquainted Captain Lowell, that makes things much easier" the emperor said in a croaky voice, a small smile creeping onto his face at such a discovery.

"Well I wouldn't call it acquainted your highness, I've only met her once and very briefly at that" Yuri told the emperor honestly as he gave the princess a once over.

The princess was undoubtedly the same girl that he had helped earlier, albeit dressed slightly different. Gone was the casual clothing and in replace of that was an elegant sky-blue dress, rather fitting of a princess of the Zaphian empire.

"Ah such a pity that you aren't more deeply acquainted" the emperor said in a sigh, which seemed quite peculiar to the trained knight.

"How exactly are you acquainted if I may ask?" the emperor asked afterwards, curious to know the details behind his grand-daughter's meeting with one of his more favoured knights.

As the emperor asked him how he knew his grand-daughter Yuri noticed the pink haired princess trying to communicate with him solely through eye contact, and for some reason he knew that the princess didn't want him to mention what happened earlier.

Understanding this Yuri nodded to the girl slightly who smiled at him.

"_Great now I have to think of a convincing lie" _the black haired man thought nervously as he looked downwards to see Repede sitting obediently next to him which gave him an idea.

"I believe the correct way of describing our acquaintance is through Repede here" Yuri commented calmly as he nudged Repede with his foot, this action went un-noticed to all inside the throne room.

"Go on Repede say hello to your friend" Yuri told Repede, who reluctantly got on all fours and walked over the princess nuzzling against her leg softly before whimpering.

In response to this Estellise crouched down and started petting Repede an act that seemed to annoy the proud dog, but being the obedient creature he was, he put up with it for Yuri's sake.

"Aw who's such a good boy" Estellise praised as she continued to pet Repede, she didn't do this to play along with Yuri it was just that she loved dogs.

"And that pretty much sums up how we know each other your highness" Yuri said as he turned around to face the old emperor who seemed to be a little disappointed that it wasn't something more.

"Ah I see" he said before turning his head to watch his grand-daughter pet Repede affectionately smiling at how happy she seemed.

"Well that's ok for now" the emperor said in a sort of loving way to nobody in particular making Yuri raise his eyebrow.

As Yuri took in the calm atmosphere he decided to put Repede out of his misery.

"Come on Repede" he called much to the dogs delight, evident from the fact that he dashed away from Estellise to Yuri's side, upsetting the girl slightly.

"So, I've been meaning to ask this your highness" Yuri said politely catching the old man's attention.

"Yes Captain Lowell?" he asked.

"How should I conduct such training, would you mind me teaching her like any other knight if that is ok with her of course?" Yuri asked, slightly uneasily as he'd never taught anybody before except those who wished to become fellow knights.

"Hm" the old man murmured, rubbing his chin as if to indicate he was thinking about it, when he was done thinking he smiled.

"I will leave it in your capable hands Captain Lowell" he told the black haired captain, as if giving him approval to train her as he wished.

"Thank you, your highness" Yuri replied, bowing slightly to show respect.

"Now that is all Captain Lowell, please take the door on your left so you and my grand-daughter can get a little more acquainted, I'm sure that would be the best course of action yes?" the emperor rasped.

"Yes sir" Yuri replied, not because he agreed but because it was expected of a knight to obey the orders of the emperor.

"Good" the emperor said before turning to Drake, signalling for him to return to his side.

"Then I will take my leave" Yuri replied as he walked past Drake and to princess Estellise's side.

"Shall we depart?" Yuri asked the girl who jumped slightly before nodding lightly.

"Then please lead the way princess" Yuri offered shakily, starting to feel the awkward from talking so formally, something he wasn't that good at.

"Y-yes" she replied and walked towards the door slowly as Yuri followed from one step behind her.

After the three left the room Drake, the legendary former knight turned to the emperor with a questioning look.

"Your highness, are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked his long time comrade and friend warily.

"But of course Drake, I can see no-one better for this task than Captain Lowell" the emperor said confidently showing his absolute faith in Yuri.

"I meant about your other motive behind this sir" Drake cut in causing the old man to smile.

"Hm I wonder" the emperor said curiously as he thought over his plan once more.

(Scene Change)

As the three stepped into the hallway, Yuri let out a sigh of relief causing Estellise to giggle slightly before turning around to face the knight and his companion.

"Yes princess?" Yuri asked expectantly in an exhausted, slightly off-put tone making Estellise tilt her head.

"Are you really Captain Lowell?" Estellise asked dubiously as she stared into his purple eyes.

"The one and only, what makes you doubt that princess?" Yuri asked the young woman feeling slightly confused.

"It's just, from the way Flynn described you I thought you were more rough looking" she explained making Yuri's eyes widen.

"My room is a little further down, we can talk in there if you want" Estellise said before walking off towards her room, feeling wary of talking openly in front of the Royal Guardsman who patrolled the hallway.

Yuri feeling slightly insulted decided to follow her anyway, hoping that he could find out all that Flynn had been saying about him behind his back when he was alone with the princess.

After a quick journey the princess stopped in front of a white door with a gold coloured border around it.

"This is my room, please make yourself at home Captain Lowell" Estellise said as she opened the door.

As Yuri and Repede entered the room they were instantly surprised by what they saw. The room itself consisted of a red and cream colour scheme with a few light pinks included; most of the furniture was white, bar the queen sized bed which was mahogany in colour. All in all it was just what Yuri expected from a Royal's bedroom.

"Please have a seat" the princess offered her new trainer.

Yuri taking her up on the other walked over to one of the white chairs and sat back in it.

"First of all, Captain Lowell thanks for lying to my grand-father, if he'd found out what happened earlier I would probably be under twenty-four hour observation" the princess offered her gratitude.

"No problem, if there's anybody to thank its Repede here" Yuri said feeling a little more relaxed, but the news startled Estellise slightly.

"Oh sorry about that, thank you too Repede" she told the dog who barked slightly in recognition causing her to laugh slightly.

Yuri deciding that he wanted to get the formalities out of the way as soon as he could opted to get the ball rolling.

"Princess Estellise, as you know the emperor has asked me to train you in swordsmanship, but since I have no experience I hope you won't mind that I teach you how I would any other knight under my command" Yuri told the woman firmly.

Estellise upon hearing this frowned slightly.

"W-will that be a problem?" Yuri asked unsurely.

"No it's not that, it's just I'd appreciate it if you would just call me by my name, after all I bet it's bothering you calling me 'princess'" Estellise corrected.

"Did Flynn tell you that as well?" Yuri asked with a small grin.

"Call it women's intuition" Estellise corrected once more making Yuri scoff slightly.

"You're not an ordinary princess are you Estelle?" Yuri asked her, but in fact it was more like a statement.

"E-Estelle?" the princess asked in confusion before repeating the name to test it out.

"Oh sorry about that it just came out" Yuri apologised quickly, still understanding the difference between their rank and social status.

"N-no, I like it, Es-telle... Es-telle, Estelle, hm that sounds good" Estelle repeated a few times making the captain nearly laugh.

"So... I guess you want me to call you Estelle from now on?" Yuri asked as the girl repeated the name a few more times much to his amusement.

"Yes, thank you... Yuri isn't it?" she thanked before asking for confirmation.

"Yeah that's right, Captain Yuri Lowell of the 4th division of the Imperial Knights" Yuri told her to confirm her question.

"And you're going to train me like a knight?" the newly christened Estelle asked.

"If you don't mind that is, I could try something else though if you're not comfortable with it" Yuri offered, but Estelle shook her head at the statement.

"N-no I think that it would do me good, but I really don't like fighting" Estelle said honestly making Yuri smile.

"How ladylike of you" Yuri replied with a small smile causing Estelle to blush a little.

After that was said the atmosphere seemed to become much less tense and slightly easier going.

"So when will we start?" Estelle piped up.

"Well I think the emperor would like us to start sooner rather than later, hm do you have any specific times you'd like?" Yuri asked the princess as he slouched back into the chair.

"Well I have classes on weekdays which start at 11:00am and 12:00 noon so umm" Estelle started but suddenly stopped, feeling unsure when she could fit training in.

"Well I have a suggestion" Yuri offered, leaning forward as he said this.

"Hm?" Estelle murmured.

"Well if I'm going to train you like any other knight, then we could always fit in training before classes" Yuri told the princess casually.

"Y-you can really do that?" Estelle asked in disbelief making the trained knight laugh.

"Count yourself lucky, when I was training to become a knight they had us get up at 6:00am and expected us out and ready to train by 6:10am" Yuri mentioned nonchalantly as he began to pick at one of his finger nails.

At this shocking revelation Estelle paled slightly.

"Uh, umm" Estelle stuttered but before she could start, Yuri raised his hand to stop her.

"Don't worry; it won't be that early, no it'll be something more like 7:30am, giving you three hours of training and the rest to get ready for classes" Yuri said in a teasing tone, despite this he was being serious.

This joke really didn't help calm her at all.

"So you up to it or do you want to try something else?" Yuri asked the princess who was still in a trance like state of shock.

"I-I'll do it!" Estelle proclaimed with as much strength as she could, bringing a smile to her teachers face.

"Good, so now that we've gotten that out of the way" Yuri said as he leaned forward again, getting ready to change subject.

"Tell me exactly what Flynn has been saying about me behind my back" Yuri 'ordered' making Estelle jump.

"That's private" Estelle said in an attempt to dodge the subject.

"I won't tell him, I'm just curious, please Estelle?" Yuri lied, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

Estelle thought this over for a few seconds and decided that Yuri was a trustworthy person, so she started to tell Yuri about what Flynn had said.

"Well, in his own words you are stubborn, foolhardy, childish, immature and slightly annoying" Estelle said innocently as she recounted what she was told.

"_Flynn you bastard" _Yuri thought angrily as he donned a fake smile.

"... However, he also told me that you are the type who cannot ignore someone in trouble and that you'll go to any length to help them" Estelle added with a small smile.

"I think that's really respectable" she commented rather shyly.

"Thanks... I guess" Yuri replied, trying not to smile.

"_But I don't forgive him for the other comments though" _Yuri thought before he smirked devilishly.

"Hey Estelle want to know more about Flynn?" Yuri asked the girl who instantly nodded in approval.

"heh heh well..." he said as he leaned back, getting ready to tell quite a few interesting lies in revenge.

(Scene Change)

As Yuri started telling 'lies' to Estelle, the victim in question was dutifully patrolling the streets of Zaphias, having just returned from meeting Old Man Hanks he was feeling slightly depressed.

Yet he wouldn't let that get in the way of his duty.

As he walked up the path leading to the Citizen's Quarter he suddenly felt the strong urge that somebody was talking about him, signified by the reddening of his ears. This was merely superstition but it did come true at times.

Once he reached the Citizen's Quarter he spotted a very familiar knight walking down from the Royal Quarter.

This knight wore a common female knight's uniform coloured light blue with a hint of brown, her hair light brown in colour, was kind of short and braided on the right side.

From where he was standing he could see her light purple eyes scan the vicinity until they locked onto his, lightening up as they did.

"Captain Flynn!" she shouted affectionately, expressing her admiration for him in her voice as she rushed over to join the side of her superior.

This knight was Flynn's Lieutenant, Sodia.

"Ah nice to see you Sodia, I assume everything is alright in the Royal Quarter?" Flynn greeted his lieutenant cheerfully.

"Yes sir!" she replied seriously in response to Flynn's question making him laugh.

"W-what's the matter?" Sodia stuttered in response, feeling slightly humiliated.

"Oh nothing's wrong I assure you, I was just not expecting such vigour from you that's all" Flynn told her, assuring her that she hadn't done anything wrong.

"S-sorry" Sodia whimpered looking down at the floor to hide a small blush on her face.

Seeing this Flynn smiled and put his hand on her head causing her to shudder slightly, kind of like a scared rabbit amusing the captain.

"No need to apologise" Flynn told the woman as he removed his hand from her hair.

"Thank you" Sodia whispered, but Flynn still heard it.

"_About what I wonder?" _he thought curiously as he turned to give the Plaza a quick once over.

"Um, C-captain" Sodia said shakily catching his attention.

"Yes Sodia?" he asked as he looked into her eyes causing her to shake a little again.

"Is everything alright, you know, with that Old Man?" Sodia asked awkwardly before turning away, but Flynn appreciated the sentiment.

"Well he seems to be doing fine right now, I called Yuri back so I'm sure everything will work out somehow" Flynn said voicing his faith in Yuri, but that didn't go down too well with Sodia.

"As if having Yuri Lowell here could make anything better" Sodia seethed angering Flynn slightly, he never understood his lieutenant's hatred for his best friend.

"Remember Sodia that should be Captain Lowell to you" Flynn teased as he walked past the woman towards the market stalls, leaving behind a flushing Sodia.

"W-wait captain come back!" she cried chasing after him once more as he entered the marketplace.

(Scene Change)

"I-is that really true?" Estelle asked in disbelief holding her hands to her mouth in shock.

"Yeah it is, trust me if I wasn't there I would have never believed it, still the look on his face when he realised I was there was priceless" Yuri continued, lying fluidly to the princess who seemed to take each and every one of his words as gospel.

"Wow, I can't believe it" Estelle said before giggling slightly, making Yuri's eyebrow raise in curiosity.

"Hm what's so funny?" Yuri asked as he petted Repede who sat loyally at his master's side.

"Oh it's nothing, it's just rare for me to have this much fun" Estelle commented happily making Yuri feel slightly happy himself, not that he would admit it.

"Well if just a few hours with me is fun, then imagine how much fun we're going to have" Yuri told her before smirking slightly.

"I'm sure training will be just as fun" he commented, causing Estelle to pale again.

"Yuri, you bully" Estelle said cutely making Yuri laugh.

"Ah sorry about that" Yuri apologised before looking at a nearby clock, which was one of the few technologies that didn't use Blastia.

"Wow look at the time, I think I should be going, I forgot that I promised to visit Old man Hanks later on, I didn't expect to take this long" Yuri said honestly as he got to his feet.

"Old man Hanks?" Estelle asked curiously.

"Ah he's kind of like the grand-father to all those who grew up in the Lower Quarter, he's sick at the moment so we all visit him" Yuri told the princess who seemed slightly upset by the news, Yuri noticing this decided to tell her everything was fine.

Estelle despite hearing those words was not satisfied.

"How about I visit him with you sometime? T-that's if you don't mind of course" Estelle offered the man who smiled in response.

"I appreciate the sentiments but kind words won't help him, besides I'm sure you have princess-sy duties that are much more important" Yuri told her, he wasn't being cruel; he just didn't want to 'waste' her time.

"I know healing artes though; I might be of some help" Estelle offered but once again Yuri waved off her suggestion.

"Flynn knows healing artes as well you know, and they didn't help" Yuri told the princess who seemed to not give up no matter what he said.

"B-but I have more potent healing artes than Flynn" Estelle mentioned, interesting Yuri.

"Hm, well if you say so maybe I'll let you visit him" Yuri said as he began to grin.

"However first of all I think you should be worrying about your training, just a word of warning those dresses aren't suitable for what I have in mind. So I'll ask one of the knights to get you a recruit's uniform" Yuri told the girl before walking to the door.

"It was nice meeting you Estelle" Yuri finished as he walked out the door leaving behind one very confused princess.

"What's a recruit uniform?" she asked herself in wonder before falling backwards onto her silky bed.

(Scene Change)

Just as promised Yuri found a rookie knight and asked him to fetch a females recruit uniform and drop it off at the princess' room.

With that menial task out of the way Yuri exited the castle, planning to head to the Lower Quarter earlier than what was expected of him.

As he descended the steps towards the Citizen's Quarter he overheard the annoying voices of three knights he was rather acquainted with, these people were Adecor, Boccos and Leblanc, dubbed the tweedles by Yuri.

"I say shouldn't we report to the emperor about Princess Estellise sir?" Adecor lisped through his comically sized lips to his superior Leblanc.

"Sir I must agree with Adecor on this one, I believe it is imperative that we inform the emperor" the chubby Boccos stated pompously, causing Yuri to cringe slightly.

"_They must be talking about what happened earlier, but how would they know?" _Yuri thought curiously as he slowly moved from the steps and into the shrubbery, so he could eavesdrop more effectively.

"Fools, how would we explain to his highness that we allowed his grand-daughter to come into harm's way?" Leblanc chastised the two as he moved his hand to his chin.

"I say, why don't we ask Sir Schwann?" Adecor suggested.

"Yes, yes Sir Schwann will know" Boccos added his own input that was blatantly a copy of his partners.

It seemed that for once Leblanc was actually considering listening to his lackeys, which was annoying for Yuri. After all he didn't want them blabbing to the emperor about Estelle, because it would be bad for both her and himself.

"You know what I think I think I will tell Sir Schwann about this, good work men!" Leblanc congratulated before continuing up the steps with Adecor and Boccos following behind.

"_I have to talk to Schwann before they do" _Yuri concluded as he stepped back onto the steps leading to Citizen's Quarter.

"_But where will he be?" _

(Scene Change)

After a 'quick' visit to Old Man Hanks which in fact lasted two hours, Yuri was back on the streets of the Lower Quarter and decided to visit Judith's bar.

As he crossed the plaza he noticed the sun setting slowly, making him wonder how fast his day had went.

"_How long was I talking with Estelle for?" _he wondered, after all Yuri wasn't very good at holding long conversations, often becoming bored rather quickly. The exceptions to this rule were Flynn, Judith, Hisca and apparently Estelle.

"She's a nice girl though, right Repede?" Yuri asked as he descended yet another flight of steps gaining a bark in response from his faithful partner.

"Haha I guess you're right" Yuri replied, seemingly understanding Repede.

"I bet you enjoyed the attention she gave you though" Yuri said as he reached the door of the bar gaining a low growl in return from Repede who was clearly not impressed.

"Sorry Repede you wait out here, you okay with that?" Yuri asked his dog who had already settled next to the door making Yuri smile.

"Good work" Yuri praised, he would have said 'boy' but Repede would have taken it as an insult, Yuri was sure of that.

"Well see you later then" Yuri told him before entering the bar.

(Scene Change)

As Yuri entered the bar he noticed the clear difference between the exterior and interior of the building for the first time.

Put frankly it was as if the inside of the bar was bigger than the outside would suggest, not only that, the bar seemed to look much more flashy than it did earlier that day. Yuri guessed it was because there were customers around, changing the atmosphere slightly.

As he approached the bar he noticed a strangely familiar figure wearing a waitress outfit accompanied by a pair of cat ears and a cat tail.

Feeling curious Yuri approached the petite girl and tapped the girl on the shoulder making her turn around.

"You!" the woman, no girl would be more accurate screamed angrily, her eyes wide and her fists clenched.

At this moment Yuri remembered where he'd seen her before.

"Ah it's you, you're that angry mage" Yuri said bluntly making the girl feel the sudden need to punch him in the face, but luckily for him she restrained herself.

"Hmph you know nothing about me!" the girl claimed childishly as she turned around, as if she was ignoring his very presence.

"Well that's true I guess" Yuri said with a sigh before walking past her.

"Though I would have never guessed the princess would be friends with a kitty maid" Yuri said in a mocking tone making the girl flush red, until it hit her.

"How do you know that?" the girl asked forcefully as she ran around his body so she could look him in the eye whilst asking it.

"I'm a knight of course I know" Yuri said nonchalantly, ignoring the fact that he had no knowledge that the Zaphian Royal family had a princess a day prior.

"Liar" the girl claimed.

"I'd watch that mouth of yours. Who knows what would happen if you said that to someone who wasn't as mature as me" Yuri said in an arrogant way, hoping to get a reaction from her.

"You mature? I've seen dogs more mature than you, and that really is an insult coming from me" the girl replied childishly, annoying Yuri for some reason.

"Well good for you" Yuri said with a grin turning around to approach the bar.

"Hey come back here when I'm insulting you!" the waitress said loudly grabbing him by the shirt.

"Hey would you let go of me?" Yuri asked, but before Rita could reply Judith just had to show up.

"There's a girl all over you?" Judith asked slyly, ignoring the man she was previously talking to in doing so.

"I'm hurt Yuri" she continued making Yuri laugh slightly before walking over to the bar, shrugging off the girl with ease, upsetting her slightly in the process.

"Well if you're so upset about it how about I give you some attention then" Yuri flirted as he sat himself down at the bar giving Judith a small wink in the process.

"Hey!" the man Judith had been talking to protested making Yuri smirk, he knew this person.

"I was wondering where I was going to find you, you saved me a lot of hassle Schwann" Yuri said with a grin making the man flinch slightly.

The man Yuri accused of being Schwann wore a long purple coat, accompanied by a pink shirt and brown trousers. His hair was scruffy and he had messy stubble, from his appearance no-one would expect him to be the famous Captain Schwann of the 1st division of the Imperial Knights.

"Heh, don't know what ya' talkin' about, the names Raven" the man said in an attempt to sound cool.

"Here you go Captain" Judith cut in handing the shady man a beer making him sigh slightly.

"Why did you have to do that Judy darlin'?" the man complained as he brought the glass to his lips.

"Hm, did I do something wrong?" Judith asked cutely, tilting her head to make it more effective.

"No nothing!" the man said enthusiastically, making her smile slyly, Yuri noticing this gave her a quick nod of appreciation.

The atmosphere after that became lighter as a result.

"So how's it going anyway kid?" Schwann asked in his fake accent.

"In regards to what?" Yuri asked as he rested his head on the bar.

"The promotion of course" Schwann replied impatiently.

Yuri instead of answering instantly leant back on the stool carefully and decided to think about it.

It had been two years since he made captain, at that time he was 22 years of age and just another overconfident no name hoping to make it big. However thanks to the backing of the man sitting next to him he was able to take his chance to prove himself, and was rewarded greatly for his accomplishments.

"Hm ok I guess" Yuri said calmly, knowing no other way to explain it.

"The work isn't remotely harder?" Schwann asked in disbelief.

"Well there's that, but my lieutenant helps me deal with that so I guess I'm lucky" Yuri replied, smiling fondly at the thought of his lieutenant.

"Not fair" Schwann commented melodramatically before slouching onto the bar.

"My lieutenant has too much on his hands in the first place to deal with my work" Schwann said, sounding slightly jealous.

"That's what you get for having the tweedles in your brigade" Yuri said sounding slightly sympathetic.

"In fact I've been meaning to ask you about that" Yuri said seriously, making Schwann raise an eyebrow curiously.

"Go on" Schwann said with great interest.

"Well you see-" Yuri started until he heard the door of the bar open loudly.

"Sorry about that" a familiar voice said before laughing slightly, sometimes I don't know my own strength.

At that the two captains turned around to see Flynn still in uniform, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. Behind the man was his lieutenant, who was glaring at Yuri.

"That was no accident" Yuri whispered to the man next time him with a smile.

"No kidding, she really hates you doesn't she" Schwann said, stating the obvious.

"Yup with a passion too" Yuri replied finding enjoyment from it.

"What did you do anyway?" Schwann asked curiously, imagining some risqué scenario's depicting Yuri and Sodia.

"Get those thoughts out of your head" Yuri said feeling disgusted at the thought.

"Well what else could it be?" Schwann asked as if it was the most natural answer in the world.

"Beats me" Yuri said feigning innocence.

As the two knight captains continued their banter, Flynn tried to calm Sodia down.

"What's 'HE' doing here?" Sodia asked angrily, as if Yuri being in her presence was a sin.

"Probably having a drink, you know typical Yuri" Flynn replied honestly, making Sodia's eye twitch slightly.

"Drinking on the job, is that typical for a knight to do?"

"He's not on duty right now, he's officially on vacation Sodia" Flynn said defending his best friend.

"So why's he in uniform?" Sodia asked.

"Who knows, why don't you just ask him if you're bothered by it?" Flynn said calmly, but hidden in that smooth tone was a hint of frustration.

"As if I'd ever talk to that man!" Sodia screamed loudly making everyone in the bar turn to look at her.

Now the centre of everyone's attention, Sodia was starting to turn red.

"Calm down Sodia stop making a scene" Flynn said quietly, upsetting Sodia.

"I'm not making a scene" she said sounding quite hurt, before turning around and heading for the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" Flynn called out to his upset subordinate.

"Somewhere I won't run into that sorry excuse for a captain" Sodia said quietly, but it was loud enough for Flynn to here.

"Sodia you shouldn't talk about-"Flynn scolded before he was cut off by the slam of a door, leaving a very frustrated and embarrassed Flynn alone at the door.

As Flynn faced the door he mentally steeled himself for the mockery he was about to face, when he was ready he approached the bar proudly and sat down next to Yuri who was grinning along the person he was drinking with.

"Wipe that shit eating grin off your face Yuri, I'm not in the mood" Flynn told his friend rudely.

"Oh what's wrong kid trouble in paradise?" Schwann mocked the blonde haired captain who glared at him instantaneously before realising who it was.

"C-captain Schwann" Flynn stuttered feeling disappointed with himself as unlike Yuri he actually respected the great captain.

"It's Raven" Schwann said proudly, getting completely ignored as a result.

"Don't dodge the subject Flynn" Yuri said instantly in hopes of catching his friend off guard.

"I'm not dodging the subject, it's just something I don't want to talk about with you specifically" Flynn said honestly.

After all Yuri had to of done something to Sodia that made her so angry.

"Fine, fine killjoy" Yuri said as he spun on his barstool to look at a few waitresses except the kitten maid who he avoided eye contact with at all costs.

As Yuri did this Flynn looked at the captain of the 1st division wondering why he was dressed so peculiarly.

"Captain Schwann why are you here in the Lower Quarter?" Flynn asked curiously getting a wicked smile in return.

"For the ladies of course!" Schwann said proudly as his eyes flicked over each and every one of the waitresses.

"Well except for that thing there, I aint interested in walls you know" Schwann said as he pointed a thumb towards Rita.

Rita hearing this formed a fist and punched the experienced captain in the back of the head angrily.

"Ouch, that hurt!" Schwann complained before turning around to look at the furious Rita feeling slightly scared by the look in her eyes.

Yuri and Flynn watched this with vivid fascination, trying to hold back the urge to laugh.

"Little lady don't you know I can arrest you for assaulting me like this?" Schwann now out of his Raven persona said in a serious tone.

Rita flinched at that, after all she didn't think the mages at the Blastia laboratories would accept a person with a criminal record.

"Captain Schwann, I think that was self defence" Flynn said calmly with a small smile on his face.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Schwann said feeling confused at Flynn's words.

"Sexual Harassment, right Yuri?" Flynn setting aside his respect for the man said with a smile.

"Yup" Yuri replied, prolonging the word as he said it.

"Ugh you two are so serious, why not just relax a little I was only kidding" Schwann said before waving off the frightened teen waitress.

"I have no troubles relaxing" Yuri said as he stretched out his arms.

"Only Flynn has those troubles" Yuri continued grinning as he anticipated some sort of rebuttal, but it never came.

"Hmm what kind of troubles would those be?" Schwann said as he caught on to what Yuri was saying.

"Lady troubles" Yuri stated as he lifted his eyebrows suggestively making Schwann laugh.

"W-what!" Flynn gasped yet at the same time he didn't deny Yuri.

"Aww look at him, he's getting embarrassed" Judy cooed as she leaned over the bar joining in with the guy's fun.

"Haha poor kid" Schwann said sympathetically before clicking his fingers as if he had gotten some form of inspiration.

"How about I take you under my wing and we can get all the ladies in Zaphias, What do ya' say?" Schwann offered graciously.

"No thank you" Flynn said a little childishly.

"Tough luck Schwann, without Flynn you won't get any ladies" Yuri mocked.

"Hey I'll have you know that all the ladies in the city of guilds need me more than they need to eat and drink" Schwann said proudly, puffing out his chest emphatically.

"Oh I'm sure they do" Yuri, Flynn and Judith chorused in disbelief.

"You guys are so mean" Schwann sobbed before turning to stare at Judith, and her assets.

"Hey darlin' get me another beer will ya?" Schwann asked as he handed the woman an empty glass.

"Coming right up" the bartender said as she took the glass and put it under the tap.

As Judith poured Schwann another beer the atmosphere became calm, as if it was Schwann's intention all along.

"Hey Schwann" Yuri said with a serious tone as he turned to the man.

"What is it kid, you actually sound serious for once" Schwann replied in a fatherly tone.

"Well later you're going to get some of your knights asking you about a certain incident involving a certain princess, please don't tell the emperor about it" Yuri requested in little more than a whisper so Flynn couldn't here.

"Why would you want that?" Schwann asked, mimicking Yuri's hushed tone.

"Believe me when I say this, it's her who doesn't want it getting out" Yuri told the man making Schwann smile warmly.

"We'll see, I'll discuss it with her before I do anything ok" Schwann replied to his favourite knight.

"Thanks man, I owe you one" Yuri said appreciatively.

"Here's your beer" Judy said as she cut in, making sure to flaunt herself a little bit to catch the man's full attention, Rita noticing this glared at her but when Judith met her eyes Rita fled to serve some customers.

"So you boys want anything?" Judith asked the other captains.

"Mabo Curry" the two said in unison making the bartender laugh.

"You two never change" she giggled and walked into the kitchen area.

As the two waited for their favourite meal Yuri felt the urge to tease Flynn again.

"So how are you and that crazy chick doing anyway?" Yuri asked Flynn with a smile.

"And who are you referring to?" Flynn asked, though he suspected he knew who Yuri was talking about.

"Lieutenant Sodia of course" Yuri said with a smirk.

"Just fine actually... wait no we're not like that! Flynn tried to explain futily as he waved his hands in front of his face.

"Haha kids these days, so shy" Schwann cut in gaining a glare from Rita for some reason.

"If you say so Flynn, but you two are awfully friendly with each other" Yuri said before turning to the bar.

"Hey Judy get us a beer each whilst you're at it will ya!" Yuri ordered gaining a quick ok in return.

As Flynn watched his friend he suddenly felt as if he could understand why Sodia didn't like Yuri.

"Too laid back for his own good" Flynn whispered.

"Huh what was that?" Yuri asked.

"Ah it's nothing" Flynn said quietly as a plate of Mabo Curry was placed in front of him.

* * *

><p><strong>(End of Chapter)<strong>

_Well here is chapter two; its main aim is to give everyone an understanding of the relationships between the characters._

_Next chapter Estelle's training begins._

_I hope you enjoyed._

_-Aquilon_


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